Took 80 year old parents for their 1st visit 4/25-4/30 2010
Our 3rd visit, and this time we take "Mom & Dad" for their

Our first trip to WDW was back in 1994 when the 4 of us (Mom & Dad - both 34, Son-13, Daughter 11) drove from Albuquerque New Mexico to Walt Disney World on a grand adventure that included stops in San Antonio Texas, New Orleans Louisiana, and a few other places. 15 years later (Sept. 2009) we returned as a couple to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Both trips were wonderful, and we were on such a "Disney High" that we decided to take my parents for their first visit. They are 79 & 82 years old, so we began planning the trip for April 2010. Mom and Dad were excited and looking forward to their first visit to Walt Disney World!

Arrival Day - Sunday 4/25/10:

Ages: 50, 50, 79, & 82.

We got up at 3:30 am and immediatley went into "travel mode". We flew from Albuquerque to Dallas/Ft. Worth where we switched planes and on to Orlando.
We hopped onto the Magical Express and it stopped at Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs before we got to our resort - Port Orleans French Quarter.
We had only stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for our previous 2 visits, and we thought the French Quarter was a little less spread out for Senior legs. We also wanted them to experience the Water Taxi's to Downtown Disney which we had enjoyed so much. When we checked in, we had asked for a 1st floor room, but they had us in an upstairs room. I asked the cast member if they could fix that for us, and she called and in a few minutes said that she could put us in a room on the first floor, and that we'd probably be pretty happy with it. When we got to the room we were surprised that we had a beautiful view of the Sassagoula River, and it was beautiful!
We settled in, and then headed for the water taxi to take it up to the Port Orleans Riverside, where we had an ADR for Boatwright's Dining Hall. On our last trip, we checked into our room, and had an ADR for Boatwright's and it was so good, we HAD to do it again. Our server was so friendly and he really hit it off with Mom & Dad. The meal was a great start to another great WDW vacation.
We had planned to head over to Downtown Disney on the Water Taxi, but a big storm was brewing, and they stopped running. We showed Mom & Dad around the Riverside's marina area, and then took the walk along the river back to the French Quarter. We had so much fun introducing them to the resort. We just rested up as a big thunderstorm raged most of the night. The weather reports said that the storm would pass, and it would be a great day for our first visit to one of the parks. Epcot tomorrow!

We woke up and the storm had passed. The weather was nice and we got up early and headed for the bus stop. Our plan called for a visit to Epcot for our first day. We had such good luck with the bus system, it seemed like every time we got to the bus stop, a bus for the place we were heading would pull up on right on time! My parents must think it's always like that, but I assured them that we were just lucky. I really enjoyed playing the role of "tour guide" with my parents, as we rode the busses, I'd tell them facts about WDW and the resorts we'd pass, and the parks we were heading for. We had never done a rope drop at epcot, and it was exciting not knowing how they did it for this huge park. They let us in and held us at the area around innoventions and club cool. The characters came out to welcome everyone, and I really enjoyed seeing Mom and Dad watching so intently at the festivities!
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto & Donald got us in the mood for a great day. We gently (but briskly) guided Mom & Dad with us over to Soarin' and the line immediatley shot to 15 minutes! It went by in the blink of an eye, and we were buckling in for a hang gliding tour of California (where we are originally from). I told Mom to "hold on TIGHT at the part where we go UPSIDE DOWN!" She looked at me funny, and then I told her I was just kidding! I could tell by the "yee-haw's" that my dad was really enjoying the ride! We missed it last time, and it was really an experience. I can see why this is easily one of WDW's most popular attractions! We then headed over to Test Track and walked right in with no line. Everyone really enjoyed it. The high speed ending always makes me let out a big yell! A short walk next door led us to Mission Space! Of course we did the less intense 'green team' for Mom and Dad's sake, but honestly... I only ride the green team anyway!
From Mission Space, we headed across Future World - back to The Land Pavilion for a ride on "Living with the Land Boat Ride". The line had shot up to 25 minutes, but we got in line. After a little while, the line stopped moving. We were there about 30 minutes when the announcement went out that they were having problems, and the ride had to be closed! We lost a little time there, so we had to adjust our touring plan a bit.
We headed straight for The World Showcase and had some Fish & Chips at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the U.K. Pavilion area. Found a great table by the water and enjoyed a very relaxing, shaded lunch! We strolled around The World Showcase then took the Water Taxi back to Future World. Stopped in for some international soda samples at Club Cool!
We were refreshed (and full of soda!) as we headed over to Spaceship Earth. Walked right on and this is one that my Mom really enjoyed. She was enjoying the Audio Animatronic telling of the history of communications, but when she saw us as cartoon characters during the ending screens in the ride vehicle, she was laughing out loud! And I could hear laughing coming from behind us as Tammy and my Dad were cracking up watching their antics in "the future"! We marveled at the beauty of the Flower & Garden festival displays as we wandered the grounds.
Mom & Dad wanted to ride the monorail, so we got on at the epcot depot. We took the tour and just stayed on at the TTC depot. I was told that if we were at Epcot and wanted to ride the entire circuit, that we should just get on, but STAY on when we arrived at the TTC and then just ride back to where we started at epcot. I guess we were "supposed" to get off at the TTC, because a lady stepped in, and then made a remark about people "not getting off". I don't know if we were expected to get off or were allowed to stay on, but I really wouldn't have wanted to make my 80 year old parents walk down and back up to the other side for the next monorail. I don't think they even knew what was said, and I didn't tell them. They were just fascinated with the monorail, and the beautiful view of Walt Disney World from the sky train.
We were all getting tired, and headed back to the resort for a snack and a few hours of rest. After we rested, everyone was ready to head over to Downtown Disney for some dinner & shopping. A chance to show them what we missed on our arrival day because of the thunderstorm!

After resting, we headed to Downtown Disney via Water Taxi.
That ride is just so beautiful and relaxing! We headed straight for The Earl of Sandwich. Our package included a free $525 in gift cards, and we put them to good use for meals on our trip! Earl of Sandwich was a busy place, and at first we were all a little confused about what to order, and how to order it. But we finally got it figured out, and found a booth to sit down and enjoy Roast Beef Sandwiches and Salad. The price is good by theme park standards, and the sandwiches really are very good!
After dinner, it was time for some shopping for the Grand Daughter! (and Great Grand Daughter!) We had so much fun at the shops looking for things that would be great for our little Grand-Girl back home. Pooh Corner was a big hit and after finding some great goodies there, we stepped outside where the security guard was busily acting as a photographer and she was outstanding as a photographer!
Goofy's Candy Company was a must do
and you can't beat a "Goofy Glacier" for cooling off!
We took the water taxi back to the French Quarter, and called it a day. We enjoyed winding down, and remembering the day's events. I was really looking forward to Tuesday, because I know how much my Dad loves animals, and The Animal Kingdom was next!

We made it in time for Rope Drop at the Animal Kingdom. We headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safari. There was almost no wait as we boarded the vehicle for our safari.
The animals were out in force, and Mom & Dad had such a wonderful time, it was just great. We walked next door and did the Pangani Exploration trail. the Gorillas stole the show again!
Mom and Dad made up a big batch of Beef Jerkey, and that was such a great snack for the entire trip. We took Crystal light packets and just filled our water bottles. Another trick we did was to take instant oatmeal packs, and heated water with the in-room coffee maker for a quick breakfast snack to hold us until our lunch reservations would come around in the parks. My Mom really enjoys "saving a buck" wherever possible... we agree! We made it just in time for the start of the Flights of Wonder show. Things like that were great because it would give Mom & Dad a chance to sit and rest while enjoying the entertainment. We then headed over to the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This was a first for us too. We missed it in Sept. and this is a great way to see some exotic animals, including those huge Bats!
Now we had a decision to make... Everest or No Everest????!!! We had debated on whether Mom & Dad should even attempt Expedition Everest. As we approached it, we offered them a shot at it. And they said... "What is it? A Roller Coaster?" and we said... YES! And they said "We've been on Rollercoasters before... Let's ride it!". So we jumped in the line with only a 20 min. standby time. We were feeling a little unsure about it as we noticed everyone in line looked pretty young! But Mom and Dad did great and Loved it! I saw the picture that they take on the ride, and it was a moment I wanted to keep, so i went ahead and bought the picture of us all on the ride... Tammy and I looked terrified, and Mom & Dad were cool as cucumbers!
We headed over to Dinosaur, but there was a 30 min. wait, so we decided to head over to the Tusker House for our 1:05 ADR.
We had the Nemo The Musical seating package, so after lunch we headed for Finding Nemo The Musical, but on the way ducked into It's Tough to be a Bug and were able to enjoy that show, and still make it to the special seating area for the Nemo package on time. It was great, we went in to the special entry area, and were seated right in front near the stage! I highly recommend the Finding Nemo Lunch seating package at Tusker House. After the show, we headed over to Dinosaur and the line had dropped to 10 min. standby, but actually we just walked right on!
My poor Dad hurt his shoulder a little from all of the jerking motion on this rough ride! We were worried about Everest, but it was Dinosaur that got him. He was OK, but a little sore, so we decided not to push it any more, and just grabbed some Mickey Ice Cream Bars and sat on a bench for rest and a treat.
When we got back to the French Quarter, my Dad wanted to go into the Hot Tub for his shoulder, so I went down with him and read one of my Disney Planning books while he soaked. He really enjoyed it. We all just rested up for the rest of the evening, and made plans for tomorrow... The Magic Kingdom.

Today was our Magic Kingdom Day. We were all a little tired, so we agreed not to worry about a rope drop arrival, but decided to just sleep a little more. We arrived at the MK about 10:45am. The first thing we did was to hop on the WDW Railroad at the Main street station, and then rode the entire circuit around the park to give Mom & Dad a good look at the place. We went one more turn to get off at the Frontierland station. I took everyone's cards and grabbed some Fast Passes for Splash Mountain, and then we all headed over to the Liberty Tree Tavern for our 11:35 Lunch ADR. A great lunch, the server was happy to split Mom & Dad's Roast Beef plate into 2 seperate meals. I had the Angus Cheese/Mushroom Burger, and Tam had the Chicken & Dumplings, everyone enjoyed it!
We headed across the street to The Hall of Presidents which was a big hit with Mom & Dad! Mom asked me if those were all actors?! I told her "No Mom, they are Robots" and she said "Aw, come on" and I said "Yup! No Actors, all Robots called Audio Animatronics!". She said "Ask Your Dad" and I asked him.... "Dad were those Actors or Robots?".... His answer...."Actors!" They really liked it.
From there, we went over to Splash Mountain packing Fast Passes. At the big Grand Finale drop, Mom got SOAKED! She was a good sport about it and agreed to hop on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to dry off!
Now came one of the big surprises of the trip. We were heading over to Pirates of the Carribean, and I said, I know a little shortcut, so we passed by the Country Bear Jamboree, and it was just going to start, so I asked "do you guys want to see this one as long as we're here?" and they said "sure!". THEY LOVED IT! Both of my parents said that this was the BEST attraction they had seen yet! Who'd-a-thunk-it? Country Bear Jamboree? I'm so glad we took time to see it! I hadn't seen it since 1994, and it really was a fun time, an old classic. We then headed over to the Enchanted Tiki Room. This is a sad one, people were getting up and walking out halfway through the show. The new version just doesn't have the enchanting classic quality of the original show. At least we were able to sit and rest a bit. Next we got on Pirates of the Carribean and I told my parents that they updated it a bit and added JOHNNY DEPP! Mom said... "Who's Johnny Depp?" She looked at my Dad and he just shrugged his shoulders! We sat in the covered bench area of POC and had a snack break. We were heading out of Adventureland and the parade was going on, so we sat on an open bench and watched the parade go by. Mom & Dad really enjoyed that parade!
That part of the park is so beautiful with the water and off in the distance in each direction, just a beautiful view. We hardly wanted to get up and leave after the parade, but we still had some fun ahead of us at Tomorrowland.
We strolled over to tomorrowland and headed right for the Carousel of Progress. We will never miss this one as long as it's around, Tammy and I just never get tired of it. Mom & Dad really liked it too. We then rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority which is always a smooth and relaxing break from the crowds. We made sure to take Mom and Dad on It's a Small World.
As we were heading out to return to our resort, we passed the Columbia Harbour House and I suggested that we might just have dinner there, and it passed unanimously! Mom wasn't very hungry and just ordered a bowl of Clam Chowder which she really enjoyed. Dad wanted the Fried Shrimp basket while we enjoyed the "Anchors Aweigh" (Tuna) Sandwiches. It wasn't crowded and the break was welcomed by all 4 of us.

When we came out, we were right by the Haunted Mansion with a 5 min. standby wait time, so we could not resist the ol' classic. And we were all glad we didn't.

We had such a great day at The Magic Kingdom. We rode everything that we planned and the wait times weren't bad at all. A nice lunch and dinner. Just a great day! We headed back to the Port Orleans French Quarter, and Mom and Dad rested while Tammy and I washed clothes.
Our Mousekeeping was great. Towell Animals everyday when we returned, and they did a great job of cleaning and leaving plenty of everything we asked for!

We ordered some Begniets from the food court and used our refillable mugs to just sit at an outside table and enjoy being at our favorite vacation place.

It felt so good knowing that Mom and Dad were enjoying themselves and had seen so much! Our planning was really paying off, and it was so nice knowing that such great memories were being created on this trip!

It was a little sad knowing that we had only 1 full day left, and then our departure day, but we looked forward to tomorrow. The Disney Hollywood Studios, and a return trip to Epcot!

It was our last full day. We had a full day planned, but Tammy and I agreed that the slightest signs of fatigue, and we'd cut it short for Mom & Dad's sake. Today the plan was to take the bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios and then take the Water Taxi over to Epcot so that they could enjoy the sights on the way, and enter at the International Gateway. When my Dad and I stepped outside of our room, we saw an unforgettable show! There was a big black snake in the bushes. He looked like he was posing for us before moving away.
We caught the bus for DHS and went straight for The Great Movie Ride. A gentle ride through classic movie scenes was a perfect start to the day. We took them to see Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.
This way we could tour at our own pace until it was time to head over to the Sci-Fi Dine-In for our lunch ADR.
We had a fun lunch at Sci-Fi, The sandwiches were huge and Mom & Dad could have easily shared one! The corny sci-fi trailers had me chuckling all the way through. Mom & Dad seemed fascinated by the whole thing... being outside - at night - in a car - at a DRIVE IN!
We toured around the Streets of America sets, and then went back in to One Man's Dream to watch the Movie of Walt Disney's life. On the way out, we stopped at the gift shop and found a great toy to take back to our 6 month old Grand Daughter!
Now was a great time to take a snack/water break and then head over to the Water Taxi and cruise to Epcot one last time. (Mom's favorite park). This turned out to be a great idea. Mom and Dad really enjoyed the scenic cruise between parks, and I could tell them about the resorts that we passed by.
The International Gateway is such a beautiful place to enter the World Showcase of Epcot. When we got to the France pavilion the acrobatic chef was performing his daring routine and we enjoyed watching his performance.
We made our way over to The American Pavilion and it was just in time for a performance of The American Adventure. Then it was on to Norway and we set sail on Maelstrom. As we strolled around The World Showcase we saw the Japanese Drummers, and the Chinese Acrobats. We then took them to The Mexico Pavilion for a ride on The Three Caballeros boat ride. We then headed over to Future World and made it a point to see Honey I Shrunk The Audience, we had never seen it ourselves, and also heard that it may be replaced by the return of Captain E-O, so we really wanted to check it out, and it would be a great place for Mom & Dad to rest their feet. A quick left turn and we were walking on Journey Into Your Imagination. We wanted to try the Living with the Land boat ride since it was down on our first visit. We were getting hungry, so we decided to eat dinner at Sunshine Seasons everyone wanted Rotessirie chicken. It was great since the boat ride was right next door with a 5 min. wait.
We were pretty much done for the day, but hit one more attraction on the way out, The Seas with Nemo & Friends.

We had a full day and were ready to head back to the resort to pack and be ready for our departure day.
On the way out we stopped at the photo place to pick a package of photos fromour photo pass card.

We hopped on the bus and headed back. We felt very good about the fun time Mom and Dad had enjoyed during our days at Epcot. We got back to find our newest towel animal, this time it was a penguin. We spent the evening packing everything up and getting ready to head for home tomorrow. The Port Orleans French Quarter had become like home, and we always felt welcomed upon our return to our room.
We didn't have to be back to the Magical Express pickup area until mid-day tomorrow, so we planned one more visit to The Animal Kingdom (Dad's fave) in the morning.

It was our departure day. Never the best day of a Walt Disney World trip, but we tried to make the most of the last hours we had for this trip. We had taken care of packing and arrangements, so we headed down to the baggage desk where they could check in our bag and hold our carry ons for us until Magical Express arrival time.
We then headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom for a leisurley exploration of the trails around The Oasis, and Tree of Life.
We wanted to have lunch at one of our favorites - The Flame Tree BBQ. It was about 15 minutes before it opened, and while we waited, The Village Beatniks were performing, we grabbed a bench and enjoyed a great show!
A few minutes after they finished their set, the Flame Tree opened up and we were in line ordering slabs of ribs. We found our favorite little spot by the water with a great view of Expedition Everest in the distance. As usual, a few of our little friends came by to see us before we left.
We noticed the signs about not feeding the birds, and obeyed them... but a crumb or two MIGHT have fallen from my plate when I threw it away after finishing!
After lunch with just a matter of hours until we would be flying back, we took a nice stroll around the Tree of Life and enjoyed exploring the trails.
Kangaroos and other animals were spotted and Mom & Dad were fascinated with the up close details of the Tree of Life. I really enjoyed telling them about how it was made and they listened intently, it was so much fun playing "Disney Tour Guide" to my small but receptive audience.
Before heading out, Tammy and I wanted to "scout out" Camp Minnie Mickey for a possible future trip with our Grand Daughter.
We hadn't ever explored that part of the park, so we wanted to check it out. It looks like a great place for little ones!
We headed for the park exit, and stopped to see the newly hatched baby Spoonbill chicks on the way out.
We accepted the fact that we HAD to leave and head for home. The trip turned out to be more than we expected. Mom and Dad had finally got to see Walt Disney World. They enjoyed good food, fun touring, great rides, a beautiful resort. all 4 parks, Downtown Disney and most of all, some wonderful memories that we can all share!
We had a nice return to the airport on the Magical Express Bus. The driver was so energetic and fun. He told us that he wasn't saying anything about a new park, but... Disney had bought Marvel comics and... ? We'll see. We had a nice flight home. And now to help with WDW withdrawl symdrome... Tammy and I can plan for 2011 and maybe Pop Century!

Great report, sounds like you were the perfect guide for your parents. This is what I Love about Disney they have something for everybody, who would have thought: Country Bears Jamboree and Hall of Presidents